Texas rigging for barramundi. Notice the weedless presentation for the soft bait with only a bit of the hook point exposed for better hook up.

Another style of Texas Rigging. It is important to make the soft bait straight so as to make it glide naturally when retrieved.

Jig-head rigging. But this style is not advisable to use in the snaggy area due to the exposed hook point. Also the jig itself is easily snagged due to its fixed position with the hook.

Live Prawn Baits

Lure

The most exciting method for catching barramundi by lure casting from a boat. Usually, you have to go up current and drift back with the flow while maneuvering the boat with an oar or the best would be a mounted thruster. You have to cast directly into the snags, best if your lure could knock the snags. Sound impossible but with accurate casting and a bit of adjustment to the swim angle of your lure, it should lessen the probability of your lure getting stuck.

Snake head being the most widespread fish species in Malaysia. There are many types of snake head fishing grounds. Flooded oil palms are one of the most popular paradises for snake head. One thing is for sure, the flooded oil palm plantation offers an endless supply of snake head due to its nature of being always flooded. So the snake heads here are always being restocked by Mother Nature herself.

What is unique about this place is this part of plantation is next to a small stream and the water would flood and receded on and off all year round. The best fishing time would be when the area has been flooded for weeks and then the water suddenly recedes rapidly within two or three days. As a result, the snake head that roams the shallow water for food would be trapped in the isolated shallow pools and become easy target for anglers.

Tips

Soft plastic baits are the simple solution to fish the snake head. This method to be the best because the baits swings free with the help of the snap swivel, just like when you use frog bait. The swinging feature of the presentation is needed when you want to retrieve the soft plastic out of the snags.

It is similar to use of frog bait where your line sometimes ends up on a branch during retrieve, so you reel it up and swings it a bit and in a swift motion, you flick the bait out from the snag and process is repeated until the bait retrieved all the way.

When to Strike?

The most important question is when to strike as the snake head takes the soft bait. With frog bait, you have to give the snake head a moment to shallow the bait before you strike, due to the size of the frog and the hook being embedded in the frog's body.

It is different with soft bait. The moment you feel a tap, you must consider that the snake head has already mouthed the bait and what you need to do is swiftly give it a full strike. This is difference you will face because unlike frog bait which is soft and can be chewed, soft plastic is not as soft as the frog's body and the moment you allow the snake head to taste its artificial texture, it will split out. That is why you must strike fast.